| 1. |
- Ademuyiwa, Adesoji O., et al.
(författare)
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Determinants of morbidity and mortality following emergency abdominal surgery in children in low-income and middle-income countries
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMJ Global Health. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2059-7908. ; 1:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Child health is a key priority on the global health agenda, yet the provision of essential and emergency surgery in children is patchy in resource-poor regions. This study was aimed to determine the mortality risk for emergency abdominal paediatric surgery in low-income countries globally.Methods: Multicentre, international, prospective, cohort study. Self-selected surgical units performing emergency abdominal surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive children aged <16 years during a 2-week period between July and December 2014. The United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) was used to stratify countries. The main outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality, analysed by multilevel logistic regression.Results: This study included 1409 patients from 253 centres in 43 countries; 282 children were under 2 years of age. Among them, 265 (18.8%) were from low-HDI, 450 (31.9%) from middle-HDI and 694 (49.3%) from high-HDI countries. The most common operations performed were appendectomy, small bowel resection, pyloromyotomy and correction of intussusception. After adjustment for patient and hospital risk factors, child mortality at 30 days was significantly higher in low-HDI (adjusted OR 7.14 (95% CI 2.52 to 20.23), p<0.001) and middle-HDI (4.42 (1.44 to 13.56), p=0.009) countries compared with high-HDI countries, translating to 40 excess deaths per 1000 procedures performed.Conclusions: Adjusted mortality in children following emergency abdominal surgery may be as high as 7 times greater in low-HDI and middle-HDI countries compared with high-HDI countries. Effective provision of emergency essential surgery should be a key priority for global child health agendas.
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| 2. |
- Stacey, Simon N, et al.
(författare)
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A germline variant in the TP53 polyadenylation signal confers cancer susceptibility.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 43:11, s. 1098-103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To identify new risk variants for cutaneous basal cell carcinoma, we performed a genome-wide association study of 16 million SNPs identified through whole-genome sequencing of 457 Icelanders. We imputed genotypes for 41,675 Illumina SNP chip-typed Icelanders and their relatives. In the discovery phase, the strongest signal came from rs78378222[C] (odds ratio (OR) = 2.36, P = 5.2 × 10(-17)), which has a frequency of 0.0192 in the Icelandic population. We then confirmed this association in non-Icelandic samples (OR = 1.75, P = 0.0060; overall OR = 2.16, P = 2.2 × 10(-20)). rs78378222 is in the 3' untranslated region of TP53 and changes the AATAAA polyadenylation signal to AATACA, resulting in impaired 3'-end processing of TP53 mRNA. Investigation of other tumor types identified associations of this SNP with prostate cancer (OR = 1.44, P = 2.4 × 10(-6)), glioma (OR = 2.35, P = 1.0 × 10(-5)) and colorectal adenoma (OR = 1.39, P = 1.6 × 10(-4)). However, we observed no effect for breast cancer, a common Li-Fraumeni syndrome tumor (OR = 1.06, P = 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.88-1.27).
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| 3. |
- Lang, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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The Physcomitrella patens chromosome-scale assembly reveals moss genome structure and evolution
- 2018
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Ingår i: The Plant Journal. - : Wiley. - 0960-7412 .- 1365-313X. ; 93:3, s. 515-533
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The draft genome of the moss model, Physcomitrella patens, comprised approximately 2000 unordered scaffolds. In order to enable analyses of genome structure and evolution we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly using genetic linkage as well as (end) sequencing of long DNA fragments. We find that 57% of the genome comprises transposable elements (TEs), some of which may be actively transposing during the life cycle. Unlike in flowering plant genomes, gene-and TE-rich regions show an overall even distribution along the chromosomes. However, the chromosomes are mono-centric with peaks of a class of Copia elements potentially coinciding with centromeres. Gene body methylation is evident in 5.7% of the protein-coding genes, typically coinciding with low GC and low expression. Some giant virus insertions are transcriptionally active and might protect gametes from viral infection via siRNA mediated silencing. Structure-based detection methods show that the genome evolved via two rounds of whole genome duplications (WGDs), apparently common in mosses but not in liverworts and hornworts. Several hundred genes are present in colinear regions conserved since the last common ancestor of plants. These syntenic regions are enriched for functions related to plant-specific cell growth and tissue organization. The P. patens genome lacks the TE-rich pericentromeric and gene-rich distal regions typical for most flowering plant genomes. More non-seed plant genomes are needed to unravel how plant genomes evolve, and to understand whether the P. patens genome structure is typical for mosses or bryophytes.
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| 4. |
- Alpizar, Francisco, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Global Chemicals Outlook II. From Legacies to Innovative Solutions: Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- 2019
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- 1. The size of the global chemical industry exceeded United States dollars 5 trillion in 2017. It is projected to double by 2030. Consumption and production are rapidly increasing in emerging economies. Global supply chains, and the trade of chemicals and products, are becoming increasingly complex. 2. Driven by global megatrends, growth in chemical-intensive industry sectors (e.g. construction, agriculture, electronics) creates risks, but also opportunities to advance sustainable consumption, production and product innovation. 3. Hazardous chemicals and other pollutants (e.g. plastic waste and pharmaceutical pollutants) continue to be released in large quantities. They are ubiquitous in humans and the environment and are accumulating in material stocks and products, highlighting the need to avoid future legacies through sustainable materials management and circular business models. 4. The benefits of action to minimize adverse impacts have been estimated in the high tens of billions of United States dollars annually. The World Health Organization estimated the burden of disease from selected chemicals at 1.6 million lives in 2016 (this is likely to be an underestimate). Chemical pollution also threatens a range of ecosystem services. 5. International treaties and voluntary instruments have reduced the risks of some chemicals and wastes, but progress has been uneven and implementation gaps remain. As of 2018, more than 120 countries had not implemented the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. 6. Addressing legislation and capacity gaps in developing countries and emerging economies remains a priority. Also, resources have not matched needs. There are opportunities for new and innovative financing (e.g. through cost recovery and engagement of the financial sector). 7. Significant resources can be saved by sharing knowledge on chemical management instruments more widely, and by enhancing mutual acceptance of approaches in areas ranging from chemical hazard assessment to alternatives assessment. 8. Frontrunner companies – from chemical producers to retailers – are introducing sustainable supply chain management, full material disclosure, risk reduction beyond compliance, and human rights-based policies. However, widespread implementation of these initiatives has not yet been achieved. 9. Consumer demand, as well as green and sustainable chemistry education and innovation (e.g. though start-ups), are among the important drivers of change. They can be scaled up through enabling policies, reaping the potential benefits of chemistry innovations for sustainable development. 10. Global knowledge gaps can be filled. This can be achieved, for example, by taking steps to harmonize research protocols, considering health or environmental impact information and harm caused to set and address priorities (e.g. emerging issues), and strengthening the science-policy interface through enhanced collaboration of scientists and decision-makers.
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| 5. |
- Block, Keith I., et al.
(författare)
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Designing a broad-spectrum integrative approach for cancer prevention and treatment
- 2015
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Ingår i: Seminars in Cancer Biology. - : Academic Press. - 1044-579X .- 1096-3650. ; 35, s. S276-S304
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Targeted therapies and the consequent adoption of "personalized" oncology have achieved notable successes in some cancers; however, significant problems remain with this approach. Many targeted therapies are highly toxic, costs are extremely high, and most patients experience relapse after a few disease-free months. Relapses arise from genetic heterogeneity in tumors, which harbor therapy-resistant immortalized cells that have adopted alternate and compensatory pathways (i.e., pathways that are not reliant upon the same mechanisms as those which have been targeted). To address these limitations, an international task force of 180 scientists was assembled to explore the concept of a low-toxicity "broadspectrum" therapeutic approach that could simultaneously target many key pathways and mechanisms. Using cancer hallmark phenotypes and the tumor microenvironment to account for the various aspects of relevant cancer biology, interdisciplinary teams reviewed each hallmark area and nominated a wide range of high-priority targets (74 in total) that could be modified to improve patient outcomes. For these targets, corresponding low-toxicity therapeutic approaches were then suggested, many of which were phytochemicals. Proposed actions on each target and all of the approaches were further reviewed for known effects on other hallmark areas and the tumor microenvironment Potential contrary or procarcinogenic effects were found for 3.9% of the relationships between targets and hallmarks, and mixed evidence of complementary and contrary relationships was found for 7.1%. Approximately 67% of the relationships revealed potentially complementary effects, and the remainder had no known relationship. Among the approaches, 1.1% had contrary, 2.8% had mixed and 62.1% had complementary relationships. These results suggest that a broad-spectrum approach should be feasible from a safety standpoint. This novel approach has potential to be relatively inexpensive, it should help us address stages and types of cancer that lack conventional treatment, and it may reduce relapse risks. A proposed agenda for future research is offered. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Decker, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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A luminescence-based assay of UDP-sugar producing pyrophosphorylases
- 2014
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Ingår i: Analytical Methods. - 1759-9660 .- 1759-9679. ; 6:1, s. 57-61
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A coupled luminescence assay was applied to monitor pyrophosphate (PPi) production by either purified barley UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) or purified Leishmania UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase (USPase). In the assay, the PPi produced by the pyrophosphorylases was converted to ATP by ATP-sulfurylase, and the ATP produced was linked to luminescent light formation through the action of firefly luciferase. The assay allowed for a quantitative measurement of UGPase and USPase activities, down to a pmol per min level. The activities were linear with time and proportional to the amount of the enzyme added, and were neither affected by Pi nor by DTT. For UGPase, K-m values with UTP and Glc-1-P were 0.14 and 0.26 mM, respectively, whereas for USPase the respective K-m values with UTP, Glc-1-P and Gal-1-P were 0.4, 2.9 and 3.9 mM. Possible applications of the luminescence-based assay for not only UDP-sugar producing pyrophosphorylases, but also other types of pyrophosphorylases are discussed.
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| 8. |
- Decker, Daniel, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring redox modulation of plant UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 24:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- UDP-glucose (UDPG) pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) catalyzes a reversible reaction, producing UDPG, which serves as an essential precursor for hundreds of glycosyltransferases in all organisms. In this study, activities of purified UGPases from sugarcane and barley were found to be reversibly redox modulated in vitro through oxidation by hydrogen peroxide or oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and through reduction by dithiothreitol or glutathione. Generally, while oxidative treatment decreased UGPase activity, a subsequent reduction restored the activity. The oxidized enzyme had increased Km values with substrates, especially pyrophosphate. The increased Km values were also observed, regardless of redox status, for UGPase cysteine mutants (Cys102Ser and Cys99Ser for sugarcane and barley UGPases, respectively). However, activities and substrate affinities (Kms) of sugarcane Cys102Ser mutant, but not barley Cys99Ser, were still prone to redox modulation. The data suggest that plant UGPase is subject to redox control primarily via changes in the redox status of a single cysteine. Other cysteines may also, to some extent, contribute to UGPase redox status, as seen for sugarcane enzymes. The results are discussed with respect to earlier reported details of redox modulation of eukaryotic UGPases and regarding the structure/function properties of these proteins.
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| 9. |
- Decker, Daniel, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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Identification and characterization of inhibitors of UDP-glucose and UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylases for in vivo studies
- 2017
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Ingår i: The Plant Journal. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0960-7412 .- 1365-313X. ; 90:6, s. 1093-1107
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- UDP-sugars serve as ultimate precursors in hundreds of glycosylation reactions (e.g. for protein and lipid glycosylation, synthesis of sucrose, cell wall polysaccharides, etc.), underlying an important role of UDP-sugar-producing enzymes in cellular metabolism. However, genetic studies on mechanisms of UDP-sugar formation were frequently hampered by reproductive impairment of the resulting mutants, making it difficult to assess an in vivo role of a given enzyme. Here, a chemical library containing 17 500 compounds was separately screened against purified UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) and UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase (USPase), both enzymes representing the primary mechanisms of UDP-sugar formation. Several compounds have been identified which, at 50 μm, exerted at least 50% inhibition of the pyrophosphorylase activity. In all cases, both UGPase and USPase activities were inhibited, probably reflecting common structural features of active sites of these enzymes. One of these compounds (cmp #6), a salicylamide derivative, was found as effective inhibitor of Arabidopsis pollen germination and Arabidopsis cell culture growth. Hit optimization on cmp #6 yielded two analogs (cmp #6D and cmp #6D2), which acted as uncompetitive inhibitors against both UGPase and USPase, and were strong inhibitors in the pollen test, with apparent inhibition constants of less than 1 μm. Their effects on pollen germination were relieved by addition of UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose, suggesting that the inhibitors targeted UDP-sugar formation. The results suggest that cmp #6 and its analogs may represent useful tools to study in vivo roles of the pyrophosphorylases, helping to overcome the limitations of genetic approaches.
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| 10. |
- Decker, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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Substrate kinetics and substrate effects on the quaternary structure of barley UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase
- 2012
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Ingår i: Phytochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0031-9422 .- 1873-3700. ; 79, s. 39-45
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- UDP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) is an essential enzyme responsible for production of UDP-Glc, which is used in hundreds of glycosylation reactions involving addition of Glc to a variety of compounds. In this study, barley UGPase was characterized with respect to effects of its substrates on activity and quaternary structure of the protein. Its K(m) values with Glc-1-P and UTP were 0.33 and 0.25 mM, respectively. Besides using Glc-1-P as a substrate, the enzyme had also considerable activity with Gal-1-P; however, the K(m) for Gal-1-P was very high (>10 mM), rendering this reaction unlikely under physiological conditions. UGPase had a relatively broad pH optimum of 6.5-8.5, regardless of the direction of reaction. The enzyme equilibrium constant was 0.4, suggesting slight preference for the Glc-1-P synthesis direction of the reaction. The quaternary structure of the enzyme, studied by Gas-phase Electrophoretic Mobility Macromolecule Analysis (GEMMA), was affected by addition of either single or both substrates in either direction of the reaction, resulting in a shift from UGPase dimers toward monomers, the active form of the enzyme. The substrate-induced changes in quaternary structure of the enzyme may have a regulatory role to assure maximal activity. Kinetics and factors affecting the oligomerization status of UGPase are discussed.
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